Advances in telecommunications and computing technology have lead to the use of interactive television (TV) services on a large scale. Where such services are available, subscribers are not only able to access television content by passively receiving it, but are also able to interact with the service providers by communicating requests and/or commands to the service providers.
Generally, interactive TV service provides a subscriber or user a variety of options such as: traditional broadcast and cable television programming; video services, such as pay-per-view (PPV), near video-on-demand (NVOD), video-on-demand (VOD), promo channels, electronic program guides, etc.; cable delivered PC-based services; and interactive services through the use of a combination of compression and digital video technologies. Interactive TV services may also provide menuing capabilities and upstream signaling from subscribers to service providers.
In addition to various forms of video content, an interactive TV subscriber may be able to download video games or even play them interactively with an interactive server and/or with other subscribers. An interactive service subscriber may order “time shift TV,” in which a particular program may be viewed at a time following its ordinary broadcast time. A subscriber may also selectively view desired parts of transactional, informational or advertising services. For example, a subscriber may view information on the weather predictions for a given location or at a given time, gather information relating to a particular sporting event or team, obtain news on demand, or query a system regarding a particular real estate market. Alternatively, a subscriber may participate in interactive entertainment programs, such as interactive game shows, interactive lottery or gambling, or request musical selections. Subscribers interested in educational programming, such as a school or a family residence, may invoke interactive “edutainment” or “how-to” programs.
The combination of broadcast and interactive applications over interactive TV (e.g., interactive content) creates a possible mode of communication in which a user, if informed of the availability of alternate interactive content relating to a subject matter of interest, may invoke the alternate content to investigate that subject matter more thoroughly and according to his or her own tastes. However, television viewers, who are accustomed to choosing at will between the available broadcast channels with instantaneous results, will expect to be informed of the alternate content in a convenient and timely manner and to pass from one medium to another seamlessly.